The Harpy= nightmare fuel
When ART attacks!
It’s February, so sadly it’s too late to wish you all a happy new year, but also- happily- it’s too late to write one of those reflective pieces about the past year and hopes for my personal growth in the future. So we can skip all that and get back to talking about how TV and Film can hit you square in the psyche and really twist your melons, man.
Today’s topic is the Short Film Harpya (1979) by Raoul Servais, an award winning filmmaker from Belgium. If you think that sounds all a bit highbrow- don’t worry! I’m talking about watching it from the perspective of a ten year old child (possibly younger).
And when I say don’t worry, maybe worry just a little bit…
My memory:
I’m going to admit it- this one, above all other memory holes so far, gives me the heebie jeebies. The memory of this film occupies a dark, closed off part of my brain with chains on the door, and I’m sure it’s for good reason. How did I come across this Cannes award winning short? Was I an extremely cool cinephile, film- festivaling on the Cote D’azur that year? Or did I happen to catch it, years later on the telly when TV commissioners were trying to be all cool and edgy? I suspect my mum thought it was some cute kids animation when she gathered us round to watch. It has haunted our dreams ever since…
So did you see the image up there with the bird thing with the human head? The mythical Harpy? Want to continue? This is your last warning…
My memory is that the harpy is extremely irritating to a man, and I think the story is cyclical. The man tries to help the bird/human hybrid atrocity by rescuing it from another man, only for him to become that man in the future.
It filled me with a deep feeling of existential dread and hopelessness. I’m pretty sure I only saw it once, but that feeling has stayed with me. Servais died last year at the grand age of 94, so in honour of him, lets unlock that door and revisit Harpya.
The reality:
Of course it starts with a terrifying scream- and a man is trying to drown the harpy in a fountain. Another man- our hero- runs in and rescues the harpy. Now it seems it’s his task to look after the terrifying beast at home, which he instantly regrets. He can’t seem to keep it fed, and it steals all his food until he’s starving. I guess this is the precursor to The Tiger Who Came To Tea, but you know, the Belgian horror version.
Ok, so the harpy rips off the guys legs and he’s pretty polite about it.
I should mention the visual style- the film is a mix of live action and animated creations, some of it feels like rotoscoping. All the sets are unreal, graphic places and the sound is pretty sparse and echoey. It all feels like a particularly dark Terry Gilliam segment that was too bizarre for the Pythons.
The Harpy- is no less than horrendous; every time it steals food, it’s a full on jump scare.
And I was right about the cyclical storyline- by the end, the man finally snaps and tries to strangle the harpy himself. As it gargles and screams, another man comes to its defence battering our man over the head. The image freeze frames on the Harpy’s delighted eyes. And…That’s it. That’s the end. Let’s all just be pleased that it ended at all.
But why Raoul? Why put us through it??! Is it suggesting that we’re all doomed to repeat our past mistakes? Or is it about being less polite to monsters? Don’t be a hero? Keep a tin of Harpy food in your cupboard just in case?
Of the film, Servais said: “'Harpya' was my first attempt to combine live action images with animation. The images of live actors had to be embedded in the graphic backgrounds. Since digital technology did not yet exist at the time and the well-known 'mask' procedure turned out to be priceless, I developed my own technology with a combination of leg animation, front projection and multiplane recordings. The result was ultimately very satisfactory, but the process was extremely time consuming and could only be performed by one person. Hence, 'Harpya' will probably remain the only film made with this technique. ”
Ok, that clears that up then.
Does it hold up?
Just… look at it! LOOK AT IT!!!!
